Federal Minister of Economic Development Mélanie Joly today announced support for 30 projects by Quebec entrepreneurs designed to “help reduce pollution, build healthier communities and create well-paying jobs for the middle class.
“Apart from the difficulties we are currently facing, the climate crisis remains one of the most important challenges of our time,” she said. “It is therefore essential to encourage local businesses to develop more environmentally friendly processes and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, while improving their competitiveness.
“That is why we are taking strong action to fight climate change by supporting innovative projects that are essential to the well-being of future generations.”
Plans call the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) to invest $12.5 million in 30 projects relating to the adoption and development of clean technologies in Quebec.
In December 2019, Ottawa announced its goal to achieve a net-zero emissions target by 2050 and that, clean growth, one of the 13 objectives of this strategy, is at the heart of CED’s priorities.
The goal, it said, is to strengthen the ability of Canadian businesses in the clean technology sector to develop and adopt these technologies and to access international markets.
“Canada has substantive clean technology strengths in areas like transport, recycling, recovery and remediation as well as in energy-efficient, green building technologies,” Joly said. “A clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. We can gain a competitive advantage and increased resilience from these strengths, especially in this difficult time we are going through.”
A CED release stated that the investment will contribute not only to establishing a culture of innovation throughout the province, but also to the adoption and marketing of technologies and products and services that reduce environmental impacts.
“By developing and adopting clean technologies, businesses are better able to control costs, meet new Canadian and international regulatory requirements, improve competitiveness and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“The crisis we are experiencing is without a doubt an opportunity to rethink and optimize the way we do things. This historic turning point is an opportunity to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy alternatives as well as to integrate the green transition into businesses and organizations.
“Global demand for clean technologies is growing every year, and Canadian clean technology developers have clearly demonstrated their ability to develop market-driven innovations.”
These innovations are also essential to ensuring Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy and to helping other sectors become cleaner, while achieving better environmental outcomes and strengthening business competitiveness.
Additional information on the project and financial assistance is provided in a related backgrounder.
